COLOGNE, GERMANY--(Marketwired - Jun 12, 2014) - With its new Start-Up Village, dmexco 2014 is, for the first time, offering all newly established companies an exclusive platform on which they can present themselves and their new products and services to over 30,000 decision-makers from the global digital economy. TVSMILES will be one of the firms exploiting this opportunity. As the winner of the first dmexco start-up competition, the up-and-coming provider of a bonus programme that rewards users for watching TV will be promoting its innovative business model at an exclusive location in the new dmexco Start-Up Village. As of now, international start-ups can apply to participate in the dmexco Start-Up Village (http://dmexco.de/2014/en/Startup_Village.html).

Face to face with the key players: dmexco 2014 enables innovative start-ups to make initial contact with pioneers and established players from the global digital economy in a specially conceived area at the trade fair. Located at the heart of dmexco (Hall 7), the new Start-Up Village provides all ambitious start-ups that have business models based on digital marketing, advertising, media, or the "Internet of Everything" with an ideal platform for successfully promoting their business concepts. Here, they can not only draw the market's attention to their new types of solutions, technologies and visions but also ideally scale their business operations. Thanks to a unique combination of lounge and stage area, the special format, which was independently developed by dmexco, establishes direct contact to potential customers and important investors. The resulting business relationships can propel a start-up business from dmexco 2014 into the fast lane to success.

The Start-Up Village's lounge, which has been specially conceived in line with the requirements of the young companies, provides ideal conditions for effective presentations and more detailed discussions with potential customers and investors. In addition, start-ups that are exhibitors at dmexco are given the opportunity to present themselves and their products and services to up to 150 decision-makers from the global digital economy on a stage immediately adjacent to the Start-Up Village. Each company in the village is entitled to a presentation slot whose duration must not exceed 25 minutes. Any interested start-up determined not to miss out on this exclusive opportunity to present itself at a prominent location at dmexco can apply for a site in the new Start-Up Village via the following link: http://dmexco.de/2014/en/Startup_Village.html.

Start-up competition: TVSMILES wins right to exclusive presence at dmexco

As the winner of the first German dmexco start-up competition, TVSMILES has already ensured its participation in the dmexco Start-Up Village. With an innovative business concept based on a bonus programme that rewards users for watching TV, the newly established firm just managed to beat out the competition from dailypresent, scondoo and webeffects, the other finalists, at the Interactive Cologne Festival. To win the title, TVSMILES had to convince a top-class expert jury of the merits of its concept during the final pitches. The jury comprised Kai Schmude (Venista Ventures), Prof. Kai Thierhoff (Thierhoff Consulting), Christoph von Dellingshausen (BVDW) and Frank Schneider (dmexco). When it comes to planning its exclusive presence in the dmexco Start-Up Village and the implementation phase, TVSMILES can expect valuable support from the Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) e.V. As an experienced mentor, the BVDW will provide the innovative young company with advice. The Interactive Cologne Festival, the Start-ups Initiative in the BVDW and Venista Ventures are supporting the competition as partners.

Christian Muche, dmexco Director Business Development, Strategy & International, and Frank Schneider, dmexco Director Marketing, Sales & Operations: "With our new dmexco Start-Up Village, we offer young innovative firms from around the world an ideal framework in which to present themselves to the global digital economy. In this way they can make valuable contact with venture capital companies and the scene's opinion-formers and key players. The range of firms represented at dmexco 2014 includes media and creative agencies, advertising and digital marketing companies, media groups and platform providers such as Google or Facebook. And all of them are directly accessible for companies that decide to participate in the Start-Up Village. That's why we are convinced that the dmexco Start-Up Village 2014 will provide the springboard that enables many young companies to finally make the breakthrough. We wish TVSMILES, the winner of the first Germany-wide dmexco start-up competition, and all other participants of the Start-Up Village two successful and business-boosting days at dmexco 2014!"

About dmexco

dmexco is the international leading expo & conference for the digital economy. Comprising a unique combination of an exposition and a conference, it stands for innovative and future-oriented marketing in the midst of a global growth market. Placing a clear focus on marketing, media, and technology, dmexco in Cologne is the global No. 1 industry meeting platform for valuable knowledge transfer and direct business transactions. dmexco, which is organized by Koelnmesse, offers trade visitors the broadest range of business trends, growth strategies, product innovations, and creative excellence in diverse forms and is furthermore free of charge. As the central hub for all thought leaders from digital brands, advertisers, and marketers, all types of agencies, and media owners, dmexco is connecting the global digital economy.

All further information on dmexco 2014 (September 10 & 11 in Cologne) as well as photos, videos, and statements on dmexco 2013 are posted at www.dmexco.com, www.facebook.com/dmexco,http://twitter.com/dmexco and www.youtube.com/dmexcovideo.

Contact:

Andre Hoffmann

Tel.

+49 40 679 446 53

Fax

+49 40 679 446 11

e-mail

dmexco2014@faktor3.de